One Night in the woods
by lookingatstars
Summary: Merlin, Arthur and the Knights are out hunting for a monster. When they find it is everything as it seems?


A/N: Probably a bit out of character but oh well, I just had the idea and wanted to write it.

Merlin was collecting firewood; they had gone out on a fairly typical search for a magical creature that had been terrorizing the outer villages. It was said to be a 16 foot tall man, however he was proving very difficult to spot. Eye-witnesses had all said the same thing, they had seen him in the distance and he had taken their livestock, but no-one had seen him up close and confirmed that he was actually a giant and not some made up monster spread by a fear of all things magic.

"Merlin get your arse over here" Arthur called out.

"What?"

"Ride ahead and see if there is an inn or a village where we can stay. It's too wet for a fire and I don't fancy raw potato to eat tonight."

Travellers scarcely travelled these woods, there wasn't anything around but tall trees and a few scattered villages. So Merlin was doubtful he'd find anything. Sir Leon swore loudly in the distance and threw the logs on the wet ground with a soft thud.

Merlin set off, it was drizzling and Merlin shivered, the woods seemed to trap the moisture in the air and Merlin felt almost as if he was breathing it in. It was a truly miserable day and an even more miserable hunt. They'd reached dead end after dead end and Merlin was truly doubtful that the damn thing even existed. About ten minutes into his ride Merlin came to the foot of a hill with a clearing at the bottom, Merlin attempted to scan the woods for some sign off life through the trees seeing nothing

"Screw this. Seriously what am I doing here? I could light a fire in two seconds no matter how wet it is." Merlin was just about to head back to the tents where at least he'd only be cold, not cold and wet; when he saw against the red clouds to the West a thin plume of smoke almost indistinguishable from the rest of the sky. Merlin sat on his horse decided on the next course of action, he couldn't tell if it was smoke from a campfire or from the chimney of an inn. Merlin decided to climb a tree to see over the tree line at what it was rather than ride into what could be a bandit camp.

However bad Merlin may be at putting one foot in front of the other on the ground the same could not be said for when he was climbing. When he was younger he used to climb the tallest trees he could find and leave Will shaking with fear on the lower branches. When he was older he would climb the trees alone and practise magic away from his mother's eyes, being off the ground had always been his safe place where no one could get him.

Merlin stuck his head out of the branches once he'd reached the top, he could see the smoke but not the source. He could however tell that it wasn't an inn as there was no break in the trees, mostly likely either bandits or fellow travellers then. Either way best to stay away. It was then that he saw it, it stood up to its full height. It's skin was grey and it's head just poked above the tree line, and what a head it was Merlin could only see the back but it was about 5 times the size as his own. The beast had wisps of long black hair but was mostly bald, then it turned around and faced Merlin. They locked eyes instantly and Merlin felt like he had fallen into his eyes. They were the most blue you could ever imagine, it was not blue like you would ever see in nature, it was like the sky itself was contained in his eyes. The head started to move and Merlin realised it was heading straight for him.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed and started clambering down the tree, he couldn't have made it to the bottom any faster if he'd jumped but just before he got to his horse he felt himself being picked up. Merlin screamed and began to attempt to shake the creature off of him pushing and biting the huge grey fingers.

"OW!" shouted the giant at a particularly violent bite and it dropped Merlin who fell to the floor running and he jumped on his horse. It was the sound of crying that stopped Merlin in his tracks, he turned to see the giant sitting on the floor sucking his fingers and crying like a huge baby. Merlin and his horse stood at a standstill trying to decide what to do, then he turned around fully and dismounted from the horse.

"There, there" he said as he approached the giant warily. The giant looked up, his eyes wet with tears but smiled at the sight of Merlin. His hand once again reaching out to grab him. "NO!" Merlin said forcefully at the hand and amazingly the giant obeyed the hand retreating to rest in the giants lap.

"Who, you?" The giant said with a booming voice.

"Merlin. Who are you?"

"Wrag!"

"Well it's nice to meet you Wrag." They sat in an awkward silence for a minute neither of them quite knowing what to say.

Wrag then said "You. Help. Me?"

"Help you how?" Merlin said with a puzzled tone.

"Find Mummy"

"You're a child?" Merlin's face was so shocked at this moment that he thought his heart might have stopped.

"I'm 4 an' a half" The giant said raising 4 fingers, he seemed to be quite offended at Merlin calling him a child.

"Where is your Mummy?"

"Don't know," Wrag said bursting back into tears.

"It's okay don't worry I'll help you" Merlin said, and within an instant Wrag's face had turned to glee and he picked Merlin up, albeit much more gently this time. Merlin still screamed slightly with the shock of it but did not fight back.

"You take me to big hill with snow?" He enquired.

"Yes, but you've got to stay here just for a few days and then I'll be back for you, can you do that?" Merlin asked. Wrag looked like he was about to cry again but nodded. "Now are you going to be okay eating and stuff"

"Wrag made fire, and cooked sheep! Look!" Wrag suddenly started moving in the general direction of the fire, his fist tightened on Merlin slightly making it a bit difficult for him to breathe. They reached the clearing in no time and Merlin saw the remnants of the fire with a now slightly burned sheep carcass on top. Wrag picked it up with one hand and put the whole thing in his mouth.

"Wrag" Wrag didn't turn just continued munching on his sheep. "Wrag!" Merlin shouted causing the giant to turn around, "Look you can't go near the villages anymore, just stay here in the woods, can you promise me that?"

"But I get hungry,"

"Promise me, or I won't help you,"

"Okay," Wrag fell to the ground with a huge bang and sat staring at the embers having seemingly forgotten all about Merlin.

Suddenly Wrag screamed as 4 arrows pierced his neck. He dropped Merlin in shock and Merlin ran into the bushes. More arrows came and Wrag started trying to pull the out one a time. A huge torrent of blood came out of one in his neck.

"HELP! MERWIN! HELP!" He screamed and Merlin stood up to fight whoever was attacking him. He had just decided which spell to use to force them away when Merlin saw Arthur and the Knights storming out of the trees swords raised. They started to swing their swords mercilessly at Wrag.

Wrag started to scream and push them away, each sword cut was small compared to him but he had a lot of them. Wrag moved slower than the Knights and their horses and everytime his hands would head for them the Knight would move swiftly to the side and stab him in the wrist or the arm. After a few minutes his arms were covered in blood.

"No, Arthur stop" Merlin shouted

"AAAAAHHH!" Wrag roared and stood up to fight in earnest, Arthur and the Knights began to jam their knives into his legs.

"Why Merlin? This monster has been terrorizing our villages and nearly killed you!" Merlin stood there and watched unable to stop the Knights without exposing himself. "Now either fight or get out the way Merlin!" Arthur screamed. Merlin stepped back slightly.

Wrag was in a worse way now, he didn't know how to fight off the Knights. He started to scream and roar trying to kick them away but they were too fast for him. Gawaine forced his sword into the sole of Wrag's foot and he screamed. When he put his foot back onto the ground he lost his footing and fell backwards, narrowly missing Percival. He was now flat on his back and before he could force his way back to his feet Arthur came up to his neck and pulled his sword across it.

Wrag put his hands to his neck and looked over at Merlin, he tried to talk but his mouth bubbled up with blood, tears fell down Wrags cheek. Merlin walked over to Wrag and put his hand on the creatures massive cheek wiping one away. Wrags eye's went dull and his body still, Merlin reached up and shut one eye then ran round his head and shut the other.

"Well Merlin what do you say?" Arthur said wiping the blood off his sword onto the ground.

"What?" Merlin whispered trying to compose himself.

"Once again I have saved your life, I mean seriously Merlin are you completely incapable of looking after yourself." Merlin just looked at him, his mouth open unsure what to say, "Well go on then say thank-you."

"Thank-You Arthur, I owe you one"

"You owe me more than one Merlin." With that Arthur turned around and continued celebrating with the other Knights.

Merlin was silent the whole way home, he didn't even think Arthur noticed.

A/N: So what did you think, was it really awful? Please review.


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